Do you want to give your staircase a makeover? This part of a home is often overlooked, but the right change is often easier than you might think. And a fresh appearance can add a great deal to the entire space around it – providing a good bang for your buck.
A DIY staircase makeover can be an extremely rewarding DIY project, and repainting your banister should be considered when doing home improvement/remodel projects. From carpeting and wood stairs, to stair runners, painted stairs and new staircase designs, homeowners are often surprised of the impact a staircase makeover can make in the home.
The DIYer in all of us may be able to imagine what it might look like, and finding some DIY staircase makeover ideas for inspiration can make all the difference. An easy DIY stairs makeover you can do is give it a new paint job, including the newel post, stair railing and wood tread.
Beadboard and new home decor from Amazon can bring some new life to your living room, but for the full effect of a new interior design, a staircase makeover should be on the list!
A staircase remodel can have many different goals, sometimes it’s to reduce its presence in the room, or to make it a focal point. Sometimes removing the old carpet and using white paint can make your old house feel new again.
Not sure how to repaint it? Discover a few ideas to help you get started on this interior painting project.
1. Reduce the Stairs’ Footprint
While you can’t get rid of the staircase’s physical footprint in the room, you can minimize its visual footprint. For example, many owners use the same carpet or hardwood for stairs and risers that you have on the surrounding floor.
If using just a new paint scheme, though, consider painting the stair tread (the flat part) and the riser (the vertical part) all the same shade as the walls nearby. This helps the stairs blend into the decor and avoids drawing the eye to them. Handrails and railings should be a complementary shade, possibly a little darker or lighter hue, to complete the look.
2. Make Stairs a Focal Point
An opposite choice is to draw more attention to the stairs by creating a focal point for the room. In this scenario, you want a bold hue for the complete staircase – such as a dark shade of red, navy, green, or black – that adds an accent against the colors of the room. Dark stairs are dramatic and may give the room a simple elegance and luxury. For added effect, you might even paint the risers a different color than the treads.
Be cautious with dark stairs, though, as they can make a space feel smaller or more confined. The ideal space for dark colors is usually a large entryway or hall with plenty of natural lighting and wide corridors.
3. Have Fun With Stair Risers
The risers offer a way to have fun with your staircase. Consider the set of risers as a canvas on which you can make a whimsical effect. You might paint each riser a successive shade of the rainbow, for example, or even use successively darker shades of the same color to create an ombre effect, or even paint a chevron pattern.
The possibilities involving the risers are only limited by your imagination and the style of the surrounding rooms. Some stair owners paint risers to mimic the spines of their favorite books or movie collection. Others might stencil a design of their own. You could use stencils to create a faux tile appearance that adds class. Or use a painting technique like rag rolling for a rustic look or taping to create a harlequin look. While there can be more effort involved with sanding, choosing paint colors, or using gel stain and patterns, going the extra mile can be much more rewarding than simply putting down a carpet runner and calling it a day.
Don’t forget that this can be fun with the basement stairs as well – decals or stencils and patterns can make it fun.
4. Focus on the Railings
Most staircases have to have railings for safety, but these give you another chance to make over the area. If your budget is sufficient, a new set of modern railings and balusters can completely alter the appearance of a dated set of stairs. Whether it’s adding iron balusters, or new newel posts that are more attractive than the previous posts can make a huge difference.
If you do not have the option of total replacement for new stairs, though, painting the railings alone is a manageable mini-makeover. Reduce their intrusion in the room by using a color in the same family as the stairs or walls. Conversely, make them a centerpiece by using a fun, conversation-starting hue. Or create the illusion of grandeur by painting the rails or caps with a specialty metallic-looking paint.
Which of these quick makeover ideas would boost the appearance of your home? The team at Elite Painting KC can help you find out. Make an appointment today to learn your options and get professional recommendations for the best results.